Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Pressure exposes how quickly our own strength runs out. We try to stay in control, keep quiet about Jesus, or carry the pain alone. Acts 4 shows a different way: a church that prays for courage, speaks about Jesus, and shares what it has so no one is left alone in need. This sermon points to the strength Jesus gives under pressure: God’s great grace resting on his people and helping them stand together through real pain.

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

The Parable of the People
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

1. First person, v. 18

Understand means to set or join together in the mind.
• Romans 8:7

Two things...
1) have a belief about the Word
• 2 Peter 1:19
2) stand under the Word

2. Second person, v. 20

“Falls away” is the Greek word ‘skandalizo’ which means “to cause a person to begin to distrust
and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey; to be offended in one, to see in another what I
disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority.”

How do I go deeper...
a)suffer well
b)solitude
c)silence

3. Third person, v. 22

This person lacks priorities because of two things:
a) cares of this world

Five things people worry about the most...
1)money and financial stability
2)health and well being
3)macroeconomics and global instability
4)relationships and social judgment- what others think
5)failure and the future

b) deceitfulness of riches

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamed of so
they can see that that’s not the answer.”
-Jim Carrey

Diagnostic questions to help us think clearly about money...
• Do you think more money would make you happy?
• Do you use money to control people so you can get your way?
• Do I see money as the means by which I get what I really need?
• Do I believe I am more deserving than those who have less or more?
• Am I stingy or have I grown in the joy of generosity?
• Does being generous still humble you?
• Am I content to be anonymous in my giving or do I like people knowing?
• Do I manage well what I have been given and can I enjoy it guilt-free?
• Who’s reputation grows as my money grows?
• Can I meaningfully experience all that I possess?
• In my hands, is money a weapon or a tool?

4. Fourth person, v. 23

Mental worship...
1. What do you most often stand under and how has that affected your understanding?
2. Do you change in the context of suffering? If so, how?
3. Does money ever deceive you?
4. How are your priorities affected by your anxiety?
5. How does the Gospel speak to what you care too much about?

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church


The Centrality of God’s Will
Matthew 12:46-50

1. Jesus is not disowning His family, v. 46-48
2. Obedience is evidence of conversion, v. 49-50
Five areas we need to apply the will of God...
a) our mind
• Romans 12:2
Practical ways to renew your mind...
a)read
b)think
c)dialogue
b) our body
• I Thessalonians 4:1-8
c) our gratitude
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Can you thank Me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?”
- Helen Rosevere, Missionary to The Congo
d) our eternal security
• Matthew 7:21-23

e) authority
I Peter 2:13-16

Mental worship...
1. How often do you ask, “What is God’s will in this situation?”
2. In what ways does your body display your sanctification?
3. What is the last hard thing you thanked God for?
4. What helps you find your, “Nevertheless...”
5. Is doing good reflex for you or labor?

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

The Un-ness of Jesus
Matthew 12:38-45
1. An unwilling generation, v. 38-39a
“How can you speak good when you are evil?”
Questions God asks people...
Where are you? What is this you have done? Where is your brother? What is that in your hand?
Where have you come from and where are you going? What is your name? What are you doing
here? Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Where were you when I laid the earth’s
foundations? Do you have a right to be so angry? Can these bones live?Who do you say that I
am? Do you want to get well? Why do you doubt?
2. An undeniable sign, v. 39b-40
• Romans 1:1-4

“I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning. For myself, as, no doubt, for most of
my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaningless was essentially an instrument of liberation
from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality of Christianity because it
interfered with our sexual freedom. There was one admirably simple method of justifying
ourselves: agnosticism.”
- Aldous Huxley
3. An uncomparable God, v. 41-42
• Isaiah 40:25-31

4. An unforgettable reminder, v. 43-45

Five Steps To A Happier Life
1. Manage your mindset
2. Build better habits
3. Strengthen your relationships
4. Find your purpose
5. Live with less stress

“Merely influenced by Jesus but, with rare exceptions, not really gathered by him or gathering
for him; tidied up but not taken in by him, this Christian world will be virgin territory for an
invasion of spirits.”

-Frederick Bruner

Mental worship...
1. How has your faith affected your unwillingness?
2. What God question is God asking you these days?
3. Who or what convinced you that God is real, Christianity is true and the Bible is right?
4. What preferences have informed your conclusions?
5. Do you want God to be more like people or people to be more like God?
6. What are the indicators of God’s presence in your life?

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Blake Hardcastle, Equipping Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

How Jesus Speaks to His Enemies
Matthew 12:22-37
1. Jesus refutes lies with logic. v.25-29
• Matthew 7:22-23
2. There Is No Room for Neutrality 30-32
3. The Heart is Revealed Through Its Words 33-35
4. Your Words Reveal Your Future 36-37

Mental worship
1. What is the last thing you remember saying that you wish you didn’t? Do you know why you
said it?
2. Who do you listen to as a source of truth? How do you determine they can be trusted?
3. What have you done, or what are you doing, to have a biblical worldview?
4. What is the last thing you repented of saying?
5. Where is Jesus asking you to take a stand for him rather than remaining on the sidelines?

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

The Centrality of Jesus
Matthew 12:1-21

1. In Jesus we find what we never find in rules, v. 1-8
Things to explain...
a)“and at the bread of the Presence”-
b)“the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath...”
c) “Something greater than the temple is here...”
d) “For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

2. Jesus put people over policy, v. 9-14
“Hesed is what happens when the person from whom I have the right to expect nothing gives
me everything."
- Michael Card
• Hosea 3:1-3

3. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan, v. 15-21
a)Jesus is the servant of God
b)God approves of and is pleased with Jesus
c)Jesus comes with an anointing on Him- the Spirit
d)Jesus came to declare justice to the nations
e)He is comfortable with people not knowing
f) Jesus is gracious to people who are struggling
g)He establishes God's way on earth through merciful persistence
h)Jesus becomes the hope of the nations

Mental worship...
1. Is there anything that God created that you are misusing?

2. What relationship in your life reminds you of God’s hesed love?
3. What could be healed in you if you started obeying Jesus?
4. In what ways are you most like Jesus and least like him?
5. Do you currently feel hopeful? If not hopeful, what word best describes your most consistent
feeling?

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

The Weightless Ease of Real Christianity
Matthew 11:25-30

1. Salvation is for the childlike, v. 25-26
• Romans 1:21-23
“Witnessing the pure, uncomplicated faith and joy with which she sang the words made him
realize that his own intellectual pride and hyper-rationalism were keeping him from a profound
truth. He realized he wanted the same genuine relationship with God that his daughter
possessed, which led him to finally put his faith in Christ.”

2. Salvation requires revelation, v. 27
Two words I want to define here:
1) Salvation refers to God’s act of delivering people from sin and its consequences through faith
in Jesus Christ.
• Ephesians 2:8-9
Four things about salvation...
a)salvation requires faith in God
b)there is nothing we can do to cause our salvation
c)it is a gift not the result of our works
d)I have nothing to boast about

2) Revelation means an unveiling or an opening of a curtain.

Two things God reveals that lead to salvation:
a)Himself
b)our true self

3. All are invited into a relationship with Jesus, v. 28
Learn to look for, listen for and ask two questions:
a)What are you laboring for?
b)What is weighing you down?

Rest is the experience of sitting down on the inside and living in a state of calm and patient
expectation.
4. This relationship shows itself in discipleship, v. 28-30
“The “easy yoke” of Jesus is an invitation to learn an entire lifestyle of living and working in
God’s unforced rhythms of grace, bringing the Kingdom to bear on all areas of your life and the
people you encounter rather than straining under heavy religious burdens.”
-Dallas Willard
• Matthew 23:1-4

Mental worship...
1. Do you think it is unfair for God to hide revelation from some people? If so, on what basis did
they deserve it to begin with?
2. Who do you need to see more clearly: God or yourself?
3. What are you working for and what is weighing you down these days?
4. Where do you find rest for your soul?
5. What two words would you use to describe what its like to be in a relationship with

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Ovidiu Petric
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Biblical Solutions For A Healthy Church
Matthew 16:13-24
1. Magnificent savior
2. Militant saints
3. Mortified self

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church


The Forgotten Word of Christianity
Matthew 11:20-24

1. Repentance is the first word of the Gospel
• Repentance is an inward conviction, produced by the Holy Spirit, that demonstrates itself in
outward action.
• Matthew 4:17
Why is repentance so important...
a) the Gospel requires it
• Acts 2:37-38
b) it is necessary for forgiveness
• Luke 24:45-47
c) it is evidence of true conversion
• Matthew 3:1, 7-8
d) It involves turning from and turning to
• Acts 26:19-20

2. Revelation makes repentance necessary, v. 20-21
• Romans 1:19-20
3. Repentance gets you ready for judgement, v. 24
• Acts 17:30-31
• 2 Corinthians 5:21

Mental worship...
1. Why do you think Jesus, John the Baptist and the Gospel make such a big deal out of
repentance?

2. Is there anything you keep apologizing for that you actually need to repent of and from?
3. Do you see your sin more as an expression of your badness or an offense to God’s
goodness?
4. Do you think more about your sin or the fact that you are righteous?
5. Did you hear anything today that angered you, convicted you, made you curious or affirmed

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Understanding Jesus
Matthew 11:1-19

1. Doubt is part of an authentic faith journey, v.1-6
• Jude 1:22

How to have mercy on those who are doubting...
a)Realize that doubt is part of deepened faith
b)Don’t manufacture answers
c)Focus on essentials not non-essentials
d)Don’t throw out everything over one thing
e)Don’t hurry people up
f) Clarify the role sin plays in this process

2. Truth tellers stand out in a culture of liars, v. 7-11
Things that require explanation...
1) “A reed shaken by the wind?”
2) “A man dressed in soft clothing?”
3) “Yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater then he.”
• Matthew 13:16-17

3. The Kingdom is indestructibly present, v. 12-15
• Malachi 4:5
• Luke 1:16-17

4. Jesus came to fulfill prophecy not preferences, v. 16-19

• Ephesians 5:15-21

Seven characteristics of wisdom...
1)time management
2)experiences the will of God
3)controls appetites
4)experiences fullness
5)worships
6)practices gratitude
7)submission

Mental worship...
1. Do you have questions about Christianity that are still unanswered?
2. When is the last time you saw the Gospel?
3. Was there a time in your life where you were more honest than you are now?
4. Do you ever find it hard to speak up for the truth? Is that more about not knowing what to say
or not wanting to say it?
5. Of the characteristics of wisdom, which most needs your

Be sure to follow us:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube